Learn to launch with your left hand and have your right thumb on the TX stick, ready to fly the plane as soon as it is off.
Throw a small handful of grass to check the wind direction.
The plane should have already been checked out for straightness, wing warps, etc., so just give it a level push into the wind.
It drives me nuts to see guys switch hands after the launch. If you ever get to the point where you're flying something hot...the first critical second after launch makes the difference between having fun or getting out the Hefty bags. Force yourself to learn to launch with your left hand now and you will be preparing yourself for more challenging planes in the future.
It helps to choose the thrustiest prop you can to get the plane flying as soon as it leaves your hand. A lot of planes are capable of vertical releases, but feel the mode out carefully. If the plane has unlimited vertical, then vertical releases are usually no problem.
Outside of some C/L flying, I haven't used landing gear on anything RC related in about 8 years.